Fence-post.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

R. 0. GLASSGO. FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1906.

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i to the accompanyingfore saved from exposure to ROBERT C. GLASSOO, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA.

FENCE-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed July 5, 1906. Serial No. 324,724.

Patented May 7, 1907.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. GLASSOO, a citizen of the United States, residing at An- 1 derson, in the county of Madison and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose ofthis invention is to provide an improved fence post having a metallic base, or to provide a metallic base to which a post may be attached above ground: that is to say, the base may be provided for attachment thereto of any sort of upper portion desired. v

The invention consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described and set out'in the claims.

In the drawings :'Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a fence postembodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section at the line 33 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of a pair of mutually bracing members which constitute the major portion of the underground extent of the post. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the portion of the post appearing above the ground, including awooden upper member, showing its adaptation to have such upper member applied alternatively either erect or in the leadingposition illustrated in dotted line. Fig. 6 is a similar side elevation showing the fence above ground laid flat Without disconnection from the base. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section of the upper end portion of the base and lower end portion of the above-ground or wooden element, showing a modification in respect to the mode of attaching the two parts together.

The metal base shown in the drawings is intended to have secured to the portion which which does not reach the ground andis therethe rotting which is caused by alternate soaking and drying to which a wooden post sunk in the ground is exposed for a distance from the surface of the ground; but the invention is not abso-- lutely limited to the employment of a wooden upper element. The base to which the up per element is attached, whether the latter be'wood or metal, comprises a rectangular bar, 1, designed to protrude. above the ground, and having its lower end embraced by two channel-bars, 4:, 4. These channelbars are identical in form and dimensions,

the width of the channel being greater than the width of the bar, 1, by substantially the amount of one flange of the channel-bar, so that the two channel-bars being engaged with each other channel to channel, one flange of each channel-bar being within the channel of the other, the sp ace remaining 111 the channel is the width of the bar, 1, which is engaged between the two-bars and in contact with one flange of one bar and the opposite flange of the other bar. 5, 5, of these channel-bars are preferably tapered from the upper end to a point within a few inches of the opposite end, where the flange substantially very narrow; and at this point the main web of the channel-bar which beyond this point is a flat bar only without flanges, is bent outward at a slightly obtuse angle, forming a foot or lip, 6, so that with the two channel bars engaged, as described, at the upper end, and the foot pieces or lips, 6, in the same plane, the channel-bars themselves diverge from the upper end toward the lower end, as seen in Fig. 1.

. 8 is. an anchor-plate having two parallel slots, 9, through which the lips or feet, 6, of the channel-b ars may be entered from the upper side of the plate, being engaged under the plate as the channel-bars are straightened upward in the process of hooking the lips through the slots; and the channel bars being brought together embracing at their upper ends the rectangular bar, 1, and said .bar being secured in place between the channelbars by a bolt, 10, the anchor-plate will be found rigidly secured to the lower ends of the channel-bars without capacity for sliding on them, being of course stopped in one direction by the lip, 6, and being stopped in the other direction, not only by the flanges, 5, which, as described, extend down to the point where the lips are formed, but also by the convergence of the two bars, 4.,from the plate upward, which, even in the absence of the flanges, 5,that is, even if they do not extend entirely down to the plate, would defeat the possibility of crowding the plate upward, because .this could be effected only by bending the bars, 4, as they would be wedged apart by the crowding of the plate up between their converging inner faces and The flanges,

disappears or becomes these bars are rendered by the flanges too stifl for such bending, and may, in any event,

' connecting the bolt holes, 12*, 5

be of material too stiff to be so bent except by very much greater force than would ever be operative on the post in the ground to produce any such movement of the plate.

In order that a section of a fence may be laid down flat upon the ground to drive over it, avoiding often the necessity of long detours or of breaking through the fence for the purpose of crossing it, I secure the upper post-member, 12, to the bar, 1, by two bolts, of which the lower bolt, 13, is so near the ground that when said post member is turned about it as a pivot, it will lie practically flat on the ground. The second bolt, 13*, is located near the upper end of the bar, 1. The apertures, 11. and 11 in the bar, 1, for receiving these bolts are elongated, the lower constituting a slot and the upper ex tending to the upper end of the bar and constituting a notch.- When it is desired for any purpose to lay a section of the fence flat, the two bolts being merely slacked, the upper post member may be lifted to carry the up per bolt out of the notch, 11, freeing the post therefrom and leaving it merely pivoted on the lower bolt, 11, so that it may be swung over to horizontal position flat on the ground, as described. This feature of construction is often serviceable in preventing the destruction of the fence by floods, for in anticipation of floods the upper bolts, 13, at the notches, 11, may be withdrawn, leaving all the upper post members pivoted on the lower bolts, so that the whole fence will be swept flat by flood and will thus avoid being torn away by floating debris as would otherwise be the case.

For the purpose of preventing stock from trampling on the lower wires or bars of the fence as they are liable to do when the crowd up to the fence, it is desirable that the fence be set in an inwardly leaning position, so that when the shoulders of the animals strike the upper bar or wire they will be too far away from the lower bar to be liableto reach it with their feet in pawing the ground, and so avoid the danger of becoming entangled in the fence as well as the danger of tearing loose the lower bars or wires. In order that the fence built withposts of the present invention may be set leaning if desired, I preferably make the slots, 11 and 11 in the bars, 1, for the bolts which secure the upper post member, 12, (usually made of wood, as above stated,) a little out of vertical line, and the corresponding holes, 12*, in the member, 12, at such position that said memher-when applied. with one side toward the bar, projects vertically, but when applied with the other side to the bar projects at an inclination due to the inclined. direction of a line connecting the two slots, 11*, and the correspondingly inclined direction of the line with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the post member, 12. It will be seen that if the two holes, 11*, are, for example, eight inches apart and are a half inch out of vertical line, the reversal of the post-member, 12, will give an inclination amounting to one inch in eight inches of length so that a post four feet high will overhang twelve inches at the top.

The member, 1, of the post is provided on opposite sides with L-shaped stress-plates, 2, 2, one limb of the plate being bolted fast against the side of the post member and the other projecting at right angles off from the side at one edge or corner of the 0st, the two stress-plates being oppositely p aced so that their said members projecting off from the post project thus at diagonally opposite corners of the post. cured by the same bolt, 3. These stressplates serve to hold the post against lateral stress, resisting thus any tendency to dis place the post in a plane at right angles to the plane of the wires, the wires themselves serving ordinarily to prevent displacement of the post in the plane in which they are stretched.

I claim 1. A fence post comprising an upright metal bar substantially rectangular in cross section an anchor-plate and two braces which are footed on the anchor-plate at a distance apart and converged to opposite parallel sides of the rectangular bar, and bolted thereto engaging said bar between them.

2. A fence-post base comprising an upright bar, a horizontal anchor plate; a pair of channeled braces footed on the anchor plate and convergedto opposite sides of the upright bar, and at their upper ends embracing the bar in their channels and secured to the bar.

' 3. A fence-post comprising an upright bar, a horizontal anchor plate and a pair of chan neled bar braces having their webs turned outwardly at the lower end to feet, the anchor plate being slotted and the lips or feet of the braces being hooked through the slots and engaged on the under side of the plate, the bars being converged from their said engagement to the plate upwardly to the opposite sides of the upright bar and secured thereto.

4. A fence post base comprising an upright bar, a slotted horizontal anchorplate; a pair ofchannel bar braces having their web at the lower ends bent outward to form lips or feet hooked through the slots of the anchor plate and engaging thereunder, said braces being converged from the anchor plate upwardly and at their upper ends embracing the up right bar in their channels and secured to said bar.

5. A fence-post base comprising an upri ht bar, an anchor plate and means for rigidly connecting the bar to the plate, and opform lips or Both plates may be sea positely projecting Wings made rigid With the par at the upper portion below the ground 6. A fence post comprising an upright element; an anchor plate; diverging braces rigidly connecting the bar to the plate, and oppositely projecting Wings rigid With. the

bar at the upper portion thereof,- below the ground line, extending in the direction in which the braces diverge.

7. A fence post comprising a metal base having an upper terminal bar protruding above the ground, and an upper member secured to said terminal bar, the bar having elongated bolt-holes or slots, the upper slot ROBERT C. GLASSOO.

Witnesses CHAS. S. BURTON, M. GERTRUDE ADY. 

